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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 16:48:25 GMT 1
17 The Angels - My Boyfriend's Back USA #1 UK #50
The New Jersey female trio scored six hits of their own between 1960 & 1964, of which this was their only top ten hit, as well as peaking at R&B #2. It was written by the songwriting team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer (a.k.a. FGG Productions who later formed the group the Strangeloves). The track, employing the services of drummer Gary Chester, was originally intended as a demo for the Shirelles.
After the band split in 1965, their lead vocalist Peggy Santiglia would supply backing vocals on a number of well known songs ... most famously on the 1965 USA #1 hit "Lightnin' Strikes" by Lou Christie.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 16:53:55 GMT 1
16 The Jaynetts - Sally, Go 'Round The Roses USA #2
The girl group based in the Bronx, New York became one hit wonders with this eerie doo-wop R&B gospel number.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 17:05:13 GMT 1
15 Jackie DeShannon - Needles And Pins USA #84 CAN #1
The Kentucky born Sharon Lee Myers song was credited to American writers Jack Nitzsche & Sonny Bono (Cher's partner). Jackie DeShannon recorded it in 1963 and other versions followed, including by Cher, The Searchers, Smokie, the Ramones, Del Shannon, Gene Clark, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks.
In his autobiography, Bono states that he sang along with Nitzsche's guitar-playing, thus creating both the tune and the lyrics, being guided by the chord progressions. However, Jackie DeShannon claims that the song was written at the piano, and that she was a full participant in the song's creation, along with Nitzsche and Bono, although she did not get formal credit.
However, it has been alleged that she received financial remuneration for her songwriting contribution in the early 1970s....
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 17:09:32 GMT 1
14 Peter Paul & Mary - Puff The Magic Dragon USA #2
The pop folk children song written by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary from a poem by Leonard Lipton. It was made popular by Yarrow's group in a 1962 recording released in January 1963.
Lipton wrote a poem about a dragon in 1959, and when Yarrow found it, he wrote the lyrics to "Puff" based on the poem. After the song was released, Yarrow searched for Lipton to give him credit for the song.
After the song's initial success, speculation arose as early as a 1964 article in Newsweek that the song contained veiled references to smoking marijuana. It also peaked at Canada #4, & Australia #6, but the UK blanked it at the time.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 17:12:13 GMT 1
13 Randy & The Rainbows - Denise USA #10
The only major hit by the Queens, New York doo-wop group, headed by Dominick “Randy” Safuto is of course more famous via its subtle sex change cover version from 1978 resulting in Blondie reaching UK #2.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 17:16:43 GMT 1
12 Rufus Thomas - Walking The Dog USA #10
The Mississippi born R&B soul & funk singer/songwriter who had been recording since 1960, but scored his first major hit (also USA R&B #5) with this self penned effort on Stax Records. The song was recorded several months later by the Rolling Stones in 1964, and has been much covered since.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 17:24:19 GMT 1
11 Doris Troy - Just One Look USA #10
The Bronx, New York City R&B singer worked as a backup vocalist for Atlantic Records alongside Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick. She was also part of the original lineup of The Sweet Inspirations in 1963, with Cissy Houston and the two Warwicks, who were Houston's nieces. Taking her stage name from Helen of Troy, Troy sang backup vocals for Solomon Burke, the Drifters, Houston, and Dionne Warwick, before she co-wrote and recorded "Just One Look" (the songwriting credits use the name Doris Payne). It would be her only major chart success as a solo artist where it also peaked at USA R&B #3, Canada #1.
The song has been covered by The Hollies, Faith, Hope & Charity, Major Lance, Linda Ronstadt, Bryan Ferry, Anne Murray, Klaus Nomi, and Harry Nilsson in a duet with Lynda Laurence.
Troy's only foray into the UK Singles Chart, "Whatcha Gonna Do About It", peaked at No. 37 in December 1964. (This was later covered by The Small Faces).
As her solo career peaked, she continued to sing back-up for multiple artists and bands. She contributed vocals to The Rolling Stones' 1969 song "You Can't Always Get What You Want", Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, and Carly Simon's "You're So Vain". In addition, she also sang for Humble Pie, Kevin Ayers, Edgar Broughton, George Harrison, Johnny Hallyday, Vivian Stanshall, Dusty Springfield, Nick Drake, and Junior Campbell.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 17:27:49 GMT 1
10 Dionne Warwick - Don't Make Me Over USA #21
This USA R&B #5 song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, originally recorded by Dionne Warwick in August 1962 and released in fall 1962 as her debut single.
The Swinging Blue Jeans would take the song into the UK top 40, but otherwise it is most remembered for Sybil's dance 1989 USA #20 UK #19 cover version.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 17:32:14 GMT 1
9 Esther Phillips - Release Me USA #8
The Galveston, Texas recording of this 1949 country tune with the producer Bob Gans on Atlantic Records reached USA #8 & R&B #1. It was her first hit single in a decade. The UK knows this song via Engelbert Humperdinck (1967), but this is the definitive version IMHO.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 17:35:49 GMT 1
8 The Miracles - You've Really Got A Hold On Me USA #8
This USA R&B #1 was written & produced by lead singer Smokey Robinson. This early Motown classic was recorded by the Beatles for their second album, With the Beatles (1963).
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 17:39:53 GMT 1
7 The Exciters - Tell Him USA #4 UK #46
The Queens, New York City R&B group consisted of lead singer Brenda Reid, Herb Rooney, Carolyn Johnson and Lillian Walker. Written and composed by Bert Berns, who, when he did so, used the pen name of Bert Russell, it also peaked at USA R&B #5, Australia #5, and topped the charts in France.
In the UK the cover version by Billie Davis reached #10.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 17:46:05 GMT 1
6 Otis Redding - These Arms Of Mine USA #85
The breakthrough song written by the legendary soul musician. His shot at fame is the stuff of Hollywood, and unlike most of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody film it is true.
Redding was at that time a member of Pat Teacake's Band, consisting of lead guitarist Johnny Jenkins, bassist Pat Teacake and vocalist/songwriter Redding, who also served as driver for Jenkins, who did not have a driver's license. Atlantic Records artist representative Joe Galkin showed interest in Jenkins and proposed to send him to a studio. On the way to a gig, Redding had the opportunity to perform the songs "Hey Hey Baby" and "These Arms of Mine" as Jenkins and house band Booker T. & the M.G.'s ended their sets earlier than scheduled.
The performance of the latter song was highly praised; Jim Stewart was so impressed that he offered Redding a contract to record for Stax Records of Memphis, Tennessee, which Redding signed soon afterward. "These Arms of Mine" became Redding's first-released Stax Records single, with "Hey Hey Baby" on its B-side. After a series of unnoticed numbers, the song "These Arms of Mine" became Redding's first successful single and sold around 800,000 copies.
The song has appeared on a number of film soundtracks, most prominently Dirty Dancing.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 17:50:37 GMT 1
5 Martha & The Vandellas - Heat Wave USA #4
The Detroit, Michigan R&B pop group USA #4 (R&B #1) was written & produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland. This joyful uptempo number was recorded 12 years later by rock vocalist Linda Ronstadt on her Platinum-selling 1975 album Prisoner in Disguise who took the song to USA #5.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 18:00:12 GMT 1
4 Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire USA #17
This song written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore and popularized by Johnny Cash in 1963. The single appears on Cash's 1963 album, Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash. The song was originally recorded by June's sister, Anita Carter, on her Mercury Records album Folk Songs Old and New (1963) as "(Love's) Ring of Fire". "Ring of Fire" was ranked #4 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music in 2003 and #87 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Cash's version of "Ring of Fire" was never released as a single in the UK. However, in 1993 and 1994, it gained significant radio airplay in the UK after it was used in a popular television commercial for Levi's. In 2005, Liverpool FC fans began singing the song at matches during the run-up to that year's Champions League Final (aka "The Miracle Of Istanbul"), and it has been a staple song for the team's fans ever.since.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 18:04:09 GMT 1
3 The Drifters - Up On The Roof USA #5
The song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded in 1962 by The Drifters. Released late that year, the disc became a major hit in early 1963, reaching number 5 on the U.S. pop singles chart and number 4 on the U.S. R&B singles chart.
In the UK it was a top ten success for singer Kenny Lynch. However, "Up on the Roof" had its most successful UK incarnation via a wretched 1995 remake by Robson & Jerome released as a double A-side coupled with their remake of "I Believe."
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 18:15:19 GMT 1
2 The Beatles - Twist & Shout USA #2 (UK #48 2010)
The Beatles cover of The Isley Brothers track was the final track on their debut album Please Please Me. However, it was the first UK extended play by the English rock band the Beatles, released by Parlophone (catalogue number GEP 8882) on 12 July 1963. It topped the UK EP chart for twenty-one weeks, becoming so successful that it registered on the NME singles chart peaking at #4, and #5 on the BBC's then aggregate Pick Of The Pops charts.
However, the OCC in their revisionism for the charts for 1960 to 1969 as predecessors for the period up to 11 February 1969 retrospectively used the Record Retailer chart for their Guinness Book Of Hit Singles. This was the one chart which excluded EPs from the singles chart.
Elsewhere it peaked at Australia #5, and in 1964 reached USA #2. It finally (officially) charted in the UK in 2010 after the Beatles allowed their music to be available digitally.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 18:20:09 GMT 1
1 Bob Dylan (covered by Peter, Paul & Mary) - Blowin' In The Wind DNC (USA #2)
This song written by Bob Dylan in 1962. It was released as a single and included on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. It has been described as a protest song and poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace, war, and freedom. The refrain "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" has been described as "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind".
In 1994, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, it was ranked number 14 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
The most commercially successful version is by folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary, who released the song in June 1963, three weeks after The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan was issued. Albert Grossman, then managing both Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, brought the trio the song which they promptly recorded (on a single take) and released. The trio's version, which was the title track of their third album, peaked at number 2 on the Billboard charts behind "Fingertips" by Stevie Wonder
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 18:22:47 GMT 1
Top 35 Non UK Top 40 Hits of 1963
1 Bob Dylan (cover by Peter, Paul & Mary) - Blowin' In The Wind DNC (USA #2) 2 Beatles - Twist & Shout USA #2 (UK #48 2010) 3 Drifters - Up On The Roof USA #5 4 Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire USA #17 5 Martha & The Vandellas - Heat Wave USA #4 6 Otis Redding - These Arms Of Mine USA #85 7 Exciters - Tell Him USA #4 UK #46 8 Miracles - You've Really Got A Hold On Me USA #8 9 Esther Phillips - Release Me USA #8 10 Dionne Warwick - Don't Make Me Over USA #21 11 Doris Troy - Just One Look USA #10 12 Rufus Thomas - Walking The Dog USA #10 13 Randy & The Rainbows - Denise USA #10 14 Peter Paul & Mary - Puff The Magic Dragon USA #2 15 Jackie DeShannon - Needles And Pins USA #84 CAN #1
16 Jaynetts - Sally, Go 'Round The Roses USA #2 17 Angels - My Boyfriend's Back USA #1 UK #50 18 Drifters - On Broadway USA #9 19 Beach Boys - In My Room USA #23 20 Betty Everett - You're No Good USA #51 21 Connie Francis - I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter USA #18 UK #48 22 Dion - Ruby Baby USA #2 23 Impressions - It's All Right USA #4 24 Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters - Cry Baby USA #4 25 Jackie Wilson - Baby Workout USA #5 26 Marvin Gaye - Pride And Joy USA #10 27 Mary Wells - Two Lovers USA #7 28 Major Lance - The Monkey Time USA #8 29 Little Peggy March - I Will Follow Him USA #1 30 Stevie Wonder - Fingertips (Part 2) USA #1 31 Barbara Lewis - Hello Stranger USA #3 32 Brook Benton - Hotel Happiness USA #3 33 Orlons - South Street USA #3 34 Peter Paul & Mary (Bob Dylan) - Don't Think Twice It's All Right USA #9 35 Crystals - He's Sure The Boy I Love USA #11
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Post by smokeyb on Jan 30, 2022 19:19:50 GMT 1
Great list of songs, it's amazing how familiar I am with the better known cover versions rather than these originals, some I prefer the covers others I think the original sounds better.
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Post by raliverpool on Feb 1, 2022 20:23:07 GMT 1
Onto 1964, I've compiled a top 40 with a few reserves. Going forward to avoid too much repetition, especially with the start of album cuts making an appearance, I've adopted a maximum "Fab Four" rule, for the maximum number of songs that can appear from one act in a year.
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